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Metro Vancouver's heat wave was predicted to peak Sunday, reaching temperatures up to 34 C inland, according to Environment Canada. But even if you don't have air-conditioning at home don’t sweat it, there’s plenty you can do to cool down. Here are some suggestions:

Whether it’s a slender arm reaching for a vodka shot in a college dorm room or a working mother cooking dinner with a glass of wine — or three, the amount of alcohol downed by females is raising health concerns as never before.

In response to the Zika crisis, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has issued travel advisories for several regions of Central and South America. However, as with previous viral epidemics, local, national and international travel contributes to the range of the threat.

OTTAWA — A B.C. veteran says Canada should follow the United Kingdom’s recent lead and apologize for recklessly handing out an anti-malaria drug that has been described as being “the worse form of friendly fire.” In an appearance this month before a parliamentary committee probing alleged misuse of Mefloquine, a British minister acknowledged that the MPs had heard considerable testimony about soldiers suffering crippling long-term neurological and psychiatric problems after taking the drug.

A pair of Lyme disease activists say they have uncovered evidence of inadequate diagnosis and treatment for this condition in B.C., although two medical experts staunchly deny the claims. Gwen Barlee, who is also a Wilderness Committee activist, and former B.C. NDP MLA David Cubberley issued a news release citing excerpts from documents obtained through freedom of information requests.

Two next-generation anti-viral drugs that effectively treat hepatitis C will be covered under B.C.’s PharmaCare program starting Wednesday. “It’s going to save lives. It’s going to improve the quality of life for thousands of British Columbians,” said Daryl Luster, president of the Pacific Hepatitis C Network.

New parents should be extra cautious about leaving a small child alone with cats or dogs, especially those bred for fighting or as guard dogs, according to pet psychology experts. “The rule of thumb with a wee baby or even a toddler is that if there is a dog in the room, a responsible person should be there, too, especially if it’s a big dog” said Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and author of several books on canine behaviour. “A large dog can do damage simply by bumping into a child.”

A new threat is emerging in the outbreak of the respiratory illness enterovirus D68: a small number of infected patients, including two children in British Columbia, have developed polio-like symptoms.

A severe respiratory illness that is sweeping across North America has reached B.C. as three people in the province are now confirmed to have been hit by enterovirus D68, say staff at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. The cases come on the heels of confirmation by Canada’s public health agency of 18 more cases of the illness in Alberta. Danuta Skowronski, the lead on emerging respiratory viruses with the BCCDC, said that because the illness is spread through the respiratory route, it was only a matter of time before it entered the province.

Twenty months after being ordered by the provincial health ministry to improve overcrowding and infection-control measures, Royal Columbian Hospital continues to treat patients in corridors and is now grappling with a superbug outbreak. Five patients at the New Westminster hospital are infected with a hard-to-treat bacteria and are currently in an isolation unit with their own nursing staff, cleaners and equipment, the Fraser Health Authority said Monday.

Steve Siebold doesn’t think he is the most hated man in America, but his stance on obesity has generated pushback that ranges from disdain to death threats. His message is simple, but not popular: Obesity is not a disease, it is a choice and there are things you can do to change it. Like work on changing your mind in order to change your body.

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